Information Regarding Social‐Sexual Behavior as an Antecedent to Perceptions of Ineffectiveness in the Workplace¹

Abstract

Three experimental studies investigated whether information implying social‐sexual behavior (any non‐work‐related behavior containing a sexual component) by employees would influence judgments of their effectiveness. In managerial and entry‐level positions, both male and female employees depicted as engaging in social‐sexual behaviors at work were perceived as less effective and less desirable as bosses, compared to identically described managers for whom no social‐sexual behavior information was provided. However, these negative evaluations were mitigated when information was provided indicating that these managers were always on‐task and effectively using their time at work (Study 3), suggesting that the effectiveness of employees who engage in social‐sexual behavior at work is devalued because others believe that these behaviors detract from productive time in the office.

Rethinking Love at the Office: Antecedents and Consequences of Coworker Evaluations of Workplace Romances

“…For example, research indicates that involvement with a married coworker is correlated with perceptions of decreased competence (Brown & Allgeier, ). Liberman and Okimoto's () research similarly reveals that managers depicted as engaging in social‐sexual behaviors with employees are perceived as less desirable and less effective as bosses compared to identically described managers for whom no social‐sexual behavior information is provided.…”

“…Through a halo effect, this may lead to indirect negative perceptions and evaluations as well. For example, ceteris paribus, perceived romantic involvement with underlings has been shown to lead to more negative evaluations of managerial performance and effectiveness (Liberman & Okimoto, ).…”

“…Popular wisdom holds that workplace romances act as distractions which “detract from time spent in the office performing work‐related duties” (Liberman & Okimoto, , p. 2791). Indeed, several early studies indicated that workplace romance may lead to lower participant performance and increased deviant behavior (Anderson & Hunsaker, , cited in Pierce, Byrne, & Aguinis, ; Quinn, ).…”

The perils of dating your boss

“…Empirically, Liberman and Okimoto (2008) showed that observers do indeed perceive employees who engage in social-sexual behaviors to be less effective than identically competent employees not behaving in such a manner. Social-sexual behaviors, or nonwork-relevant behaviors at work that contain a sexual component, include the act of being in a WR (Liberman & Okimoto, 2008). Engaging in an HWR thus may hinder individuals’ careers, regardless of whether there are differences in qualification between these individuals and those who are not in a romantic liaison with their superiors.…”

Workplace Romances: “Going to Work Is Amazing and Really Fun”

“…Most empirical studies on workplace romance (e.g., Anderson & Fisher, 1991;Brown & Allgeier, 1996;Horan & Chory, 2011;Mainiero, 1986;Powell, 2001;Quinn, 1977) have relied mainly on data from co-workers' observations and self-report surveys (Wilson, 2015), which can provide useful knowledge on organization morale and equitable employee treatment (Cowan & Horan, 2014;Liberman & Okimoto, 2008;Pierce & Aguinis, 2009). However, it is also important to conduct interviews and discussions with people who have experienced workplace romance to supplement the largely third-person perspective of previous research with first-person perceptions.…”